


Newton's Law

by Lupi



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Community: badbadbathhouse, Flirting, Gen, Humor, M/M, general stupidity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-05-12
Updated: 2011-05-12
Packaged: 2017-10-19 07:56:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/198627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lupi/pseuds/Lupi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for a <a href="http://badbadbathhouse.livejournal.com/1655.html?thread=9796471#t9796471">prompt</a> at the bathhouse Yosuke decides to hit on Souji as a prank and it turns into an all out war of gay chicken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Newton's Law

“Newton’s third law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For instance, the force at which I throw this half eaten burger at your head, Yosuke-senpai, is directly related to the amount of force at which it will hit your head. Perhaps the resulting pain will make you wake up.”

Yosuke blinked and dragged his head up from his arms and glanced warily at Naoto. She was… observing him, (that to him seemed the most apt word) with one half of Kanji’s burger poised ready to throw in her hand. He knew from experience that for a small girl she could hit as hard as Chie and her aim with any kind of projectile was deadly. She smiled faintly as he stammered an apology and returned to her books.

“I get it,” Chie piped up, with a grin in his direction, “it’s like karma?”

“Uh… not quite, Chie-senpai, but you are on the right track. Karma is an ideological belief – Newton’s laws are based on real-world physics and factual evidence.”

“But that whole thing about the amount of pain I can inflict on Yosuke being directly related to the amount of force I put into the kick – that’s what this is about, right?”

“Well, I suppose, however, if one were to use that analogy, one must also take into account that ‘pain’ in itself is a variable that cannot accurately be measured as it varies from person to person.”

“But say if we hit him a few times to see how much of a reaction we got then we could put an approximate figure to it, then we could demonstrate Newton’s theory at work, right?”

Naoto looked from Yosuke to Chie, one had gone sheet-white; the other was grinning maniacally, and raised her eyebrows, “I… er… I don’t believe that such a test would produce any conclusive results.”

“And I suppose if I hit him too much it’ll loose the impact, right?” Sighed Chie, sitting back down in her seat and casting a disappointed look in Yosuke’s direction.

“Y-yeah, well that’s a theory we really don’t need to think about right now, huh?” Yosuke laughed shakily and smiled at his friend. He wondered why she reminded him of a crocodile all of a sudden – it was that wide, insincere smile she shot at him, he decided, and shuddered again. He doubted there would ever be a day when a kick from Chie Satonaka didn’t have the desired impact on him. “Er, you were s-saying, Naoto-san?”

Naoto took the precaution of looking from one to the other again and wrinkled her nose ever so slightly. “Remind me again why I am tutoring you?”

“Because Souji’s gone out with Ai and he’s decided that since the case is over we have to study at least once a week with one of the smarter people in the group, which sucks because exams aren’t for months and its not likely we’ll remember any of this by then and-,”

“It was a rhetorical question, Yosuke-senpai.”

“O-oh right, er... sorry.”

A slight smile appeared on Naoto’s face again as she returned her gaze back to her book. Yosuke was beginning to recognise these signs of amusement in the newest member of their team – underneath that cold, serious exterior, Naoto was actually pretty cool (in his opinion). She was slowly starting to open up to them; finding her place within the team and getting comfortable there. She reminded him of Souji in many ways – she shared his level-headed confidence, his logical mind and reticence and it was lucky for them she was clever. She made a great substitute Souji-tutor when he was too busy to study with them and she seemed happy(ish) to help them out.

Of course, both Chie and he suffered from severe examitis, which basically meant that they were allergic to all forms of studying until the very last moment before the exams were due. Having witnessed this phenomenon for the last nine months of his stay in Inaba, and having the murder investigation pretty much wrapped up well before the ‘end of the year’ deadline, Souji had decided that the investigation team were to meet once a week for studying and homework sessions. For Chie and Yosuke, he had stated that the sessions were obligatory – he wanted them to be prepared for the third year, for their kouhai it wasn’t as much of an issue as both Rise and Naoto were moving back to the city in the spring and it was enough of an accomplishment to get Kanji to actually attend school regularly..

Threats of a revolt on their part were ignored by their leader, and no amount of pleading on their behalf could change his mind. He was determined that now they had all that free time that had previously been taken up by their investigation into the TV world, they were going to improve their grades. He had set them up a strict study schedule and gained their parents approval to the plan (without consulting either of the interested parties) and if neither Souji nor Yukiko were available to tutor them, Naoto would conduct the sessions on their behalf. As Kanji usually 'happened to be' wherever Naoto was, he was the only one joining them that particular Friday night - Rise had an online meeting with her management company and Yukiko was working. Fortunately Teddie was nowhere to be found. Souji had promised to join them later after his mammoth shopping trip with Ai.

Perhaps if Souji had been there Yosuke’s mind would not have wandered so much. His best friend had a habit of fixing a glare on him that could send a chill down his spine that literally had the power to make him concentrate. Plus there was the fact that Souji wasn’t nearly as fascinating as Naoto. The problem with Naoto was now that Yosuke knew she wasn’t a dude, he couldn’t help but seek out the ‘girly’ things they missed about her, and when he wasn’t paying attention to his lessons then his mind invariably wandered. Usually down extremely random paths.

Today’s path, for instance (once Naoto had resumed her simplified explanation of physics laws) he wondered what Naoto had done about using the bathroom now since being officially recognised as a girl by her peers. He knew for a fact that before the TV incident, she’d been using the male bathrooms – he’d caught her in there once. Then he wondered if her being a girl made any difference to how Kanji saw her – the idiot was still as subtle as a brick (or would that be as subtle as a Rise?) when it came to his crush on her. Then he wondered if Souji had hit on her too – the dude had been after just about every girl in the school (and by most accounts he’d got them too), not that he was going to say anything, of course. He’d totally eight-time his girlfriend if, A, he actually had a girlfriend; and, B, if there were eight girls in the school that were stupid and besotted enough to fall for him whilst simultaneously failing to realise that he was cheating on them all.

Naoto’s lecture was pretty much forgotten as Yosuke’s mind drifted into Imagination-land. Here he could be like Souji (only much cooler because he was Yosuke, the badass hero) and here girls were falling for him left right and centre. Here he was the Yosuke that he really, really wanted to be – the one that everyone looked up to, admired and wanted to be with (the one that was like real-life Souji). Childish it may be, but it was much more fun than studying for a test you were more likely as not going to fail.

He was still in full-on flake-out mode when Souji eventually turned up, fresh from his date with Ai, grinning and ready to study.

It was generally acknowledged by those that knew him that Souji Seta was a level-headed, intelligent, and dependable young man. He was there for his friends when they needed him, mature beyond his seventeen years and capable of great deeds. It was also acknowledged by his friends that he had exerted great influence over them all. His cool confidence drew people to him, his kind heart willed them to open up to him, and his good sense led them to trust his words.

So why all his maturity seemed to abandon him when Yosuke Hanamura was around was anybody’s guess; he would go along with Yosuke’s foolish ideas to the point of actually encouraging him. All that common sense would fly out of the window, that serious look would be replaced with the tiniest of smiles (and a hint of mischief in his grey eyes) and that serenity would be lost in a fit of giggles. And, of course, wherever Souji led, Yosuke would follow – egged on by Souji’s compliance, he would become more and more outrageous, would think of even more ridiculous pranks and would invariably end by infuriating everyone around him.

The two were completely mismatched – Souji was calm and logical, Yosuke was highly-strung and emotional. There was little they had in common either – Souji liked reading and crafts, Yosuke liked loud music and video games. It was hard to even comprehend how they had even become friends let alone account for the regard they had for each other. Perhaps it was because they had the knack of reading each other, or perhaps because they both came from the city, or perhaps it was the underlying yin and yang in their relationship but whatever the reason, it was clear to all that knew them that they were the best of friends.

He thumped Yosuke’s shoulder as he took his seat, making him jump from his reverie and glare at him. “Yo dude, how’s it hanging?” He asked, knowing that this particular phrase irritated his friend ever since Teddie had discovered it. He smiled as Yosuke glared and opened his mouth to speak and turned to Naoto before he could say anything saying, “Managed to teach them anything?”

“Hey! I resent that!” said Chie, “I always remember what I’ve been taught.”

“Yeah, for about five seconds.” Snorted Yosuke, picking up on the look Souji shot at him. They always worked this way – one would throw a line, the other would pick up on it and work from there. His friend allowed the corners of his mouth to twitch up slightly and he knew he’d said the right thing (in Souji’s opinion anyway – he ignored the way Chie was glaring at him).

“I remember thinking I was going to kick your ass, jerk.”

“Bring it on, Satonaka.”

“Oh you are asking for it now…”

Chie jumped from her chair just as Souji stretched and turned to Yosuke, “Hey, Yosuke, didn’t you say you were buying dinner today?”

“Er… hell no.”

“Dinner? Oh, dinner’s on you, is it, Hanamura? Well in that case I’ll have steak.”

“Gee, well there’s a surprise, Chie.”

“Whatever, who cares if you’re paying! Kanji, what’re you having?” Yosuke knew that he should have been grateful to Souji for diverting Chie’s attention so rapidly from the matter at hand, but still – why did he always have to pay for everything? The dude was loaded! He should offer to pay once in a while – so what if most of Souji’s funds went towards new armour and stuff – they’d made an absolute fortune in the TV and now they didn’t have to go back there surely he should foot the bill now and then?

“Me… uh, well-,”

“You’ve just had a burger! I’m not buying you anything else.” Yosuke snapped.

“Okay, so it’s the meat-lovers combo for us two then, Kanji? How about you, Naoto, what’re you having?”

“Oh, I am fine, thank you. I’d better be going soon anyway, I have some files that I want to collect from the police station before I return home.”

“You want me to walk you there?”

“Oh, no thank you, Kanji-kun, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“Y-yeah, of course… but...”

Yosuke would never have expected one of his most brilliant ideas ever to have sprung up at such a moment. It was something in between the way Souji was smiling at them in that fake-innocent way (in other words, laughing at them behind their backs like the smug bastard he was) and Kanji’s awkward devotion to Naoto and her oblivious reaction to it as she bid them all farewell, and Chie’s annoying voice (okay, he really liked Chie- they were great friends and all but she needed to tone it down at notch; seriously, nobody should ever be that excited by steak). Anyway, the upshot of it was that Yosuke knew that that little thought that wandered through his mind had to be acted on right there and then.

Yosuke had never been one for questioning the wisdom of his inner musings and not for one second did he contemplate the potential aftermath of what he was planning. Instead, he congratulated himself on an amazingly hilarious idea and turned to Souji with a pleasant smile and said (in a voice soft enough so that Chie didn’t hear), “Hey, want me to walk you home later, partner?”

For a moment, he was certain Souji hadn’t heard the deliberate inflection in his voice and inwardly he cringed at himself. Right up until that point he’d not even realised how gay the whole calling Souji partner thing sounded. Then again, he’d never said the word in such a flirty way before either so maybe it didn’t matter. Souji was watching Kanji and Naoto, smiling ever so slightly, seemingly unaware of Yosuke’s intense gaze. He waited for maybe a beat too long before turning his head slightly to look at him.

“You want to walk home with me?” Asked Souji, cautiously, all the while his grey eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Yosuke.

“I want to walk you home.” Yosuke corrected, and coughed to cover the snigger that was trying to escape. There was something not quite right in Souji’s gaze, something was a little too calculating and intense but nonetheless he suddenly smiled, showing all his perfect white teeth, and looked down at his hands.

“I’d like that.” He murmured. “Right after you’ve bought me a steak dinner.”

“Sure thing, partner.”

They stayed at Junes until it was dark and sat side by side, invading each other’s personal space deliberately. This was the easy part – they were so used to being around each other that it didn’t actually seem too odd to be sitting so close that their knees were touching, passing each other food. In fact, it seemed that out of all of them, only Chie seemed to be uncomfortable. That was until Yosuke decided that things needed to be taken further. He wasn’t sure that Souji had understood that he was being hit on.

“So, you finally get a meat lover’s combo, huh, Kanji?” he began, “Is it good?”

“Mmmmph… isssph gggreeat”

“Aw, dude, c’mon, don’t you have any table manners? Don’t speak with your mouth full, that’s just gross.”

Kanji swallowed and scowled at him, “Well don’t ask me questions when I’m eatin’ then.”

Yosuke ignored him and took his cue, turning to Souji and winking, he said, “speaking of food, that pork you made me the other day was amazing!”

Souji raised an eyebrow. “Glad you liked it.”

“You know,” Yosuke lowered his eyes bashfully, “I don’t think there’s a single thing you can’t do, man.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I am great with my hands, after all.”

Damn the jerk for remembering that little faux pas. Yosuke choked on his rice and after a few moments of awkward coughing where Souji did nothing but smile faintly at him, he cleared his throat and leaned forward so he could whisper in his friend’s ear. His hair, he noticed, smelled like Junes brand no-more-tears strawberry bubblegum shampoo – he knew for a fact Nanako used that, and he wondered if his friend, not content with stealing his little cousin’s desserts on occasion, had resorted to stealing her toiletries too. He also wondered if girls liked guys that smelled like… uh… girls. Unfortunately, now was not the time to let his mind wander and his quickly snapped back to attention, pretending to be basful, he whispered, “So… uh… j-just how great are you with your hands?”

“Do you want me to show you?”

Yosuke smiled and sat back, “I'd love that.”

Souji’s eyes widened ever so slightly and he smiled. It was only when he turned back to his own meal that Yosuke realised that both Chie and Kanji looked both embarrassed and extremely curious. Now there were two ways to deal with this – one, let them in on the joke or; two, prank them as well. Like there was ever a doubt of the way he was going to play this! Yosuke sat back in his chair and let the hand nearest Souji slip very deliberately under the table. Kanji dropped his chopsticks and fled, shouting something about his ma and the store, Chie giggled nervously. Souji glanced once at him and carried on eating his meal.

Yosuke had to wonder if Souji even noticed that his hand was now resting on his thigh, albeit extremely lightly. From the way he was casually eating and chatting with Chie, he would have to presume not.

He squeezed lightly and Souji turned to him, not with a look of shock or displeasure, but with a look so devoid of emotion that Yosuke knew that his friend was planning something. Well he had an idea of what that something might be but there was no way in hell he was going to say anything.

“It seems you’re pretty good with your hands too, partner.” Souji said, loud enough for most people in the food court to hear, let alone Chie. It was probably her shocked gasp, and not at all the lurid undertones of Souji’s voice that made Yosuke’s cheeks flush with colour.

Chie stumbled to her feet and grabbed her bags.“Er, haha, um… you know what, I’ve gotta go now too, okay. I-I’ll see you guys at school. Don’t get up… you know what, forget I said anything. Goodnight!” And for the first time in all the time he’d known her, Chie ran away from a free steak dinner. That left Souji and him sitting in silence at the table, food rapidly cooling and drinks losing their sparkle.

Souji kept his eyes trained on Yosuke’s for a few seconds, his gaze steady and lips only slightly curved, “So... what are you doing?” His long fingers laced and unlaced as Yosuke rapidly considered his options; the prank was rapidly losing its attraction.

“I’m… uh…” Staring helplessly at Souji wasn’t helping either – he always expected his friend to pick up the slack for him, hell, that’s what they were always doing for each other, but in this instance was it really a good idea?

“Whatever it is, I just want you to know that I… I like it. Okay?” Souji smiled properly this time, but it warped into something entirely more mischievous as it hit his eyes.

Recognising the signs as Souji having seen right through him, Yosuke knew that the best thing to do would be to confess. So why the hell he suddenly found himself grinning back in an equally insincere, stammering. “You d-do…? Oh… geez, well this is kinda awkward b-but…” he didn't know. Clearly his mouth hadn't got the memo that it really wasn't a good idea to continue the prank. Yosuke had never been good at brain-mouth communication. There was no going back now - Souji was smiling politely at him as he struggled for the words to say. He tried to think of what he would have said to Saki-senpai in such a situation (probably something along the lines of “'I love you, let's get married and live happily ever after” or something equally dumb). Yosuke gulped and went along the lines of something a little tamer, “I... I g-guess I kinda like you...”

“I figured that already - you are molesting me.”

“D-dude! I am NOT molesting you,” shouted Yosuke, drawing his hand back as if Souji’s legs had suddenly caught fire. Souji’s grin widened.

“Sorry, my mistake. So, what are you doing?”

“Er… I… I dunno… t-trying to tell you something?”

“That I'm special to you?”

He honestly couldn’t stop the venomous look he shot at his friend then and he scrambled to save the situation when he saw the smile converting to a smirk on his friend’s face. “Dude. DUDE! Of course you are! I just never really considered how special before now.”

“Really?”

“Y-yeah, I mean, we’ve always been great friends but I-I've realised that it means... er... much more and… er… oh fuck – I mean – er… Souji, you look… um… nice in that shirt.”

Souji glanced down at his clothes and raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t notice I was wearing anything different from the norm.”

“Yeah, you do go for the bland look, don’t you, er… I mean… maybe it’s the way the light is reflecting on you… you look all…” searching for the correct word to use when Souji was trying not to grin at you was difficult, but somehow he prevailed, “um… h-hot.”

“You think I look hot?”

“Sure!”

Souji looked away for a moment and then said softly, “Well I’ve always thought you are beautiful.”

“Huh?”

“And it didn’t take crappy Junes brand lighting to make me see it either.”

“Right, because you can see right into the depths my soul ‘cause you’re Souji Seta – world class dork and part time genius.”

“Of course I can - it’s one of my many, many talents,” replied Souji peacefully, “Your soul sparkles like the moon.”

“Dude, the moon doesn’t sparkle.”

“It does when you’re in the world.”

Yosuke choked on his drink and glared at his friend. For this he received an innocent smile and the very slight hint of a wink in Souji’s eyes. Not that Souji ever really winked at him (he said he lacked the physical co-ordination to perform this vital function) but he knew the moments when his friend would have done so. It was glaringly obvious that Souji knew exactly what he was up against and exactly what Yosuke was trying to do and it was clear that he was a much more successful flirt than him – obviously, he was the one with the rumoured eight girlfriends - but still, Yosuke was not going to be beaten at his own game. Clearly it behoved him to up the ante somehow.

Unfortunately for him, Souji was not done yet. For some reason unknown to Yosuke, his friend had not only taken the bait but had decided to run with it. He set his chopsticks down neatly to one side and swivelled in his chair so he could properly face him and smirked a little, “Speaking of talents, Yosuke, did I ever tell you that I’m told I'm even better with my mouth than with my hands?”

“No. Of course not and, dude, I seriously…” Yosuke stopped himself and thought for a moment and then plastered his best Junes Customer Appreciation Grin on his face, “…I think I’d like to know more.”

“Would you now? Well, I’ve always said that actions speak louder than words so maybe I’ll have to demonstrate. I’d be happy to do so any time you want”

Yosuke choked and despite trying desperately not to blush, he could feel his cheeks reddening again. If Souji thought he was going to win this round he was so, SO wrong! Yosuke took a breath, gulped and wished himself luck and then stood up, “Sounds great to me, partner.” He waited patiently until Souji had stopped smirking and had remoulded his face into something that looked almost serious. He held out his hand and smiled, “On a serious note, I meant what I said – you’re really special to me and I like you so… um… can I walk you home?”

Souji’s gaze flicked between his eyes and he smiled ever so slightly and then he took Yosuke’s offered hand and, somewhat awkwardly, clasped it lightly. His smile widened as Yosuke tried to pull away (before he remembered what he was doing). “You did want to hold hands, right?” asked Souji.

“Er… y-yeah. Of course.”

“And it’s such a lovely night…” he sighed.

“We should take the longest route possible.” Yosuke completed his sentence and tried not to calculate how many people they were likely to meet on the way home. It wouldn’t do him much good anyway – he sucked at maths. He decided that everything would all be okay as long as they didn’t encounter Dojima-san. In that instance he would be taking cyanide pills ASAP and would leave instructions for his corpse to be deposited outside Souji's house with a note saying it was all Souji's fault. Rather than contemplate that grizzly end, he thought it was better to focus on the task at hand and garnering his courage for the ordeal ahead, he clasped Souji’s hand back.

The only consolation on that terrible walk home through Junes; the shopping district; along the river bank and then slowly down Souji’s street, was apart from shocking Souji by suddenly intertwining their fingers, was that his friend was clearly just as embarrassed as he was. Souji’s facial expressions were subtle to say the least, but Yosuke was getting pretty good at reading them and he knew that tight-lipped smile well. That just proved Yosuke’s theory that his friend knew exactly what he was trying to do and was trying to make his little plan backfire. Well, if that was the way Souji wanted to play things then he’d better get ready for an ass-whooping. There was no way in hell he was going to be beaten in his own game.

They parted on their usual good terms at the door of the Dojima residence and Yosuke just about managed to keep himself from fleeing. He squeezed Souji’s hand once more before letting go and winked, “That was fun,” he lied, “we should do it again sometime.”

“How about a week on Saturday - are you free then?”

Well this was unusual, Souji had never asked anybody to meet up with him before – he was more the ‘accept invites’ type of guy. Then again, he and Souji had never done this sort of thing before. “Sounds good to me, partner, I’ll call for you at six.”

“Great.” Said Souji.

Yosuke had the impression that he was loitering in the doorway for a reason and if he wasn't careful, things were going to get really awkward really quickly. So he pretended that his phone had just got a message. “Oh, haha, m-my dad's gonna be mad at me – it's way past my curfew. Um... I gotta go. See you at school tomorrow, man.” Souji raised an eyebrow and started to say something like, “Don't I get a...” but Yosuke pretended not to hear and ran as fast as he could away from the Dojima household. He just hoped fleeing from battle didn't count as a loss.

* * *

When Yosuke arrived at school the next day everything seemed pretty normal. Souji arrived some time after him, talking about a rumour he'd overheard about one of the teachers, but Yosuke ignored that. Souji had a predilection for gossip and was always eavesdropping on random conversations. It was part and parcel of the Souji experience. He was, in Yosuke's opinion, a really weird guy. Not that being weird made him any less cool, but still, sometimes even Yosuke felt embarrassed to be around him. He didn't mention a thing about the night before, or their plans for the following Saturday, instead murmuring something about meeting Rise at lunch and wondering if it would be worth fishing after school. Yosuke sort of hoped that the incident was over and would never be spoken of again.

It wasn't until halfway through an especially dull lecture on composition that Yosuke realised that Souji hadn't forgotten the previous day's adventures at all. A note landed on his desk just as the teacher turned around. Yosuke hadn't even seen his friend move so how he'd managed to flick a note... he shook his head and quickly uncurled it.

 _You look really hot in that shirt, partner._

Yosuke hoped his best friend could feel the power of the glare burrowing into the back of his skull. Souji was constantly pulling him on his lack of concentration in class, and he thought it was a little unfair to recommence battle there and then. Still, if Souji had been the one to throw the first stone, then that meant it was okay for him to retaliate. He considered the note for a moment before scribbling down something and flicking it back at Souji.

There was a barely concealed snort of laughter from Souji's general direction that was expertly converted into a cough. A note flew back at him and landed directly in the middle of his forehead. Yosuke cast yet another glare at the back of his head and quickly read the note.

 _You can't wait for Saturday? If you're that desperate to get into my pants we could meet up after school_ , replied Souji.

The battle lines were well and truly drawn. Losing all pretence of paying attention to the lesson, Yosuke concentrated on the much more entertaining game at hand.

I can't I have work tonight:-( but I'll be thinking of you as I stack the shelves <3

 _Ah, I take it you're working in the family planning section? ___

 _Dirty bastard. And no I'm not. I'm in the grocery section again_

 _  
_Cucumbers and bananas, right! I'll come and molest you there if you want. Junes does have customer bathrooms near there, doesn't it?_   
_

_Yeah, and they tend to be occupied by customers_

 _  
_Hana-chan, you sound reluctant. Don't be coy XX ___  
_

_Dude, it is not cool in public_

 _  
_Have you ever done it in public? ___  
_

_Dude. Seriously I... Yosuke happened to look up at that point and saw Souji's shoulders were shaking slightly. The git was enjoying this. Yosuke could almost see that little grin he'd be wearing – he would know, of course, that Yosuke would be flustered by the whole conversation. Perhaps it was time to change tack. Yosuke's pen moved of its own accord – clearly his hand had the same difficulties communicating with his brain as his mouth. Instead of writing something something witty or scathing, he quickly finished his sentence with a Wait – how is that your business? he didn't even realise that he hadn't crossed out his opening words._

 _  
_I take it that means no. Poor deprived Hana-chan._   
_

Yosuke glared down at the note as another landed on his desk, Don't worry, I'll soon remedy that. BTW – it is my business, isn't it? Aren't we dating?

Dating = actually going on a date. I believe that is next Saturday's treat.

 _I'm free tonight if you can't wait to pin that 'couple' title on us. Shall I meet you in a seedy Junes bathroom at eight, Hana-chan?_

Now who's desperate to get into my pants? You are a Dirty Bastard. And WTF with “Hana-chan”, seriously dude, DON'T CALL ME THAT

 _But it's so cute. Just like you ♥_

Fortunately for Yosuke the teacher began wandering around the class before he had chance to reply to this. It was a relief – Souji was far too good at flirting and despite his best efforts, the implications of the words were making him flustered. Not that he wanted to do anything like that with Souji - the dude was his best friend and all and he liked him (as a best friend) but there were some things that in Yosuke Hanamura's opinion should never be imagined – Souji and him writhing around on the floor of a Junes bathroom was just one of them. He shuddered at the thought and actually made an effort to pay attention to the lecture just to rid his mind of that hideous image.

The lunchtime bell went soon after that. Given that Souji had already arranged to spend lunch with Rise, Yosuke figured he'd be pretty much have an hour to plan his revenge. He greeted Rise's arrival into the classroom with a larger smile than usual, and as per usual, she ignored everybody else and made a beeline for Souji's desk and stood over him, grinning happily. Yosuke never did understand how Souji could just sit there, barely listening as she emptied a morning's worth of complaints, frustrations and and jokes into his ear – if Rise was his girlfriend he'd be wanted to drag her into the nearest bathroom for some quality molesting time whenever the opportunity arose. Unfortunately thoughts of dragging and bathrooms reminded Yosuke of the notes passed that morning and he realised that he'd better get rid of the evidence before anyone found out what they'd been chatting about.

It was only when he stood up that he realised that Rise was actually smiling at him. Normally Rise's smile would send him off into a happy daze of imagination but today there was something definitely Souji-esque in the look. That gave him pause.

“So, Senpai, Kanji tells me that you two were getting awfully cosy last night...” she said, just as Yosuke decided to make a break for the bin. That stopped him in his tracks. He resolved there and then to kill Kanji Tatsumi,and although his senses told him that it would really be a good idea to flee the room now because Chie and Yukiko were both looking at him and his face was bright red, and how guilty did that make him look, he stood his ground. Or rather, he stood frozen in time, eyes fixed on Souji willing him to get him out of the mess he'd created.

That's what best friends do, right? Fix each other's problems.

Souji's attention was fixed on Rise, his gaze slightly thoughtful and the hint of a smile twisting his lips. He glanced at Yosuke, and leaned back in his chair and then said, “I was planning on speaking to you about that.”

“Oh really, Senpai?” She looked from Yosuke to Souji and grinned mischievously, “oooo, is there love blossoming on the team?”

“NO.” Said Yosuke quickly.

“Not yet, it's early days,” corrected Souji, peacefully. He met Yosuke's furious gaze with a bland look and a smile, “but who knows what the future will bring.”

Yosuke personally could see a future involving them having a real fight on the river bank within the next ten minutes if he didn't shut up.

“That's so cute, Senpai.” She cooed on behalf of the team, and given that she apparently had the biggest crush ever on him, she didn't seem particularly pissed by the news. Come to think of it, thought Yosuke, glancing at Chie and Yukiko, none of the girls were upset by the fact Souji was apparently dating yet another person. 'That and he's pretty much announced that you're both gay' added Yosuke's brain, helpfully. And then it hit him that he'd been outed in class when he wasn't even gay to begin with and that the room was full of people giggling. If only Susano-o had a power that could convert his glare into something much more useful. Like a death spell.

“I know.” Souji was smiling at him now, and Yosuke reckoned that his friend probably could read his mind, given by the level of smugness in that look. Of course he wouldn't care if people thought he was gay or not, he was cool enough to pull anything off and he would be leaving in a few months. Yosuke had neither of those lucky abilities and he knew he would be mocked left right and centre about this.

It was that thought that triggered the realisation in him that Souji was trying yet again to get him to admit to the prank and accept punishment. If he said it was all just a joke now, then okay he'd be laughed at, but nobody would think he was gay. Or at least he hoped they wouldn't. On the other hand... that would mean losing.

“I don't get is why Yosuke, though? I can totally see what he'd get from the bargain, but for you – you're getting nothing from the deal. I mean, that's like really scraping the barrel, Souji.” Trust Chie to add her two cents where they weren't wanted.

Souji's smile widened and he looked at Yosuke and shrugged. “Oh he's not that bad.”

“That's it? I'm not that bad? No explanation, no assurances that you like me, or that I have some redeeming qualities, or that you think I'm nice looking, just 'oh Yosuke's not that bad'. Geez, way to back me up, partner.”

Shit. Shit! Yosuke closed his mouth and grimaced. Had he just said that aloud? Given by the way everyone was laughing, he sorta probably had. Not good. At least Souji was surprised by his outburst, if the slight narrowing of his eyes was anything to go by.

“I was just getting to that point.” Said Souji, eventually.

“Sure you were.”

For a moment they confronted each other a little angrily and then Souji smiled, “all right, I'll tell everybody what I like about you... if you do the same thing for me.”

“Fine.”

“Well go on then – ladies first.”

Rise giggled and winked at Chie, “See I told you Senpai would wear the trousers in their relationship.”

“Absolutely.”

“S-shut up. Pair of witches.” Yosuke's eyes were started to hurt from all the scowling he was doing at everyone and he was a little upset that nobody he turned his best icy-glare on seemed in any way daunted. Perhaps this was unsurprising given the variety of fiends they'd faced in the TV world but still, it was a little rude of them to practically laugh in his face when he was so blatantly annoyed. Of course Souji was the worst for this open mockery – that tiny triumphant smile he wore was possibly the most annoying thing on the planet (after the Junes jingle and Teddies squeaky shoes), more than anything in the world Yosuke wanted to wipe it from his friends face right there and then. Maybe he and Susano-o could do some anti-smug-mode-Souji training some time. Yeah, like that would be effective. He coloured again as he realised that everybody was looking at him. “Um...”

“You were going to tell everybody what you like about me.”

“R-right... um...”

“Come on, Yosuke-senpai, I could reel off a million things a minute that are great about Souji-senpai,” said Rise, encouragingly.

“Yeah, that's because you don't know him nearly as well as I do,” muttered Yosuke. He hoped that Souji's sharp hearing didn't let him down. He didn't want him to miss the only decent retort he'd come up with all day. “A-all right, if you wanna play this then I... um... suppose Souji is... er handsome.”

“He's your type, right, Yosuke-senpai?” Giggled Rise, glancing at Chie again. He could almost feel the mental high-five passed between them and he cringed again. “That's just adorable.”

“Yeah, Yosuke is pretty cute.” replied Souji, “what?! This is the game isn't it, partner, we're going to reel off everything we like about each other.”

“Geez, well that could take all day if I'm talking about you.”

“Mmmm, ditto.”

“Okay, so... um I guess you're reliable.”

“You're not, but you mean well.”

“Geez, what a non-compliment that was. You are devious.”

“You are oblivious.”

“You're obnoxious.”

“You're amazed that you managed to use that word in context. So am I.”

“You're such a jerk.”

Souji grinned at him and stretched his arms above his head, “As they say – takes one to know one.”

“You're-,” Yosuke stopped himself in time (for once) as he realised that he was about to say 'your mom' – quite possible the most ridiculous thing he could have said. For a start he'd never even met Mrs Seta. And seriously – he wasn't six any more. He could do better. For once his mouth listened to his brain (which was frantically telling him to change tack before he well and truly lost).

Souji propped his head up on his hands and smiled, “I'm what?”

“You're really good fun to be around.”

“Huh?”

“You're kind, understanding, witty, clever, helpful, hard-working...” he grinned at Souj's confused look and pressed his advantage, “You're charming, you always back me up, you're a good leader, you're the best friend I've ever had, y-you're... you're special and I'm glad you agreed to date me.” He almost betrayed himself into a back-at-ya motion as he finished his statement.

“And you're my Hana-chan and I adore you.”

Damn Souji for always getting one up on him. It was time for a strategic withdrawal, realised Yosuke's brain as the class erupted into laughter again. He knew his face was bright red and that smile that Souji shot his way was one of pure evil. It was the one Souji had worn after they’d both gained their persona powers and had spent a pleasant morning in the TV world zapping him “by accident”. If he hadn’t have giggled every time Yosuke’s knees had buckled then maybe he would have believed him. He also realised it was time for a witty retort, unfortunately his brain was a complete blank (he could almost see Susano-o shrugging unhelpfully and turning away). Even more unfortunately was that his body realised this before he had chance to do anything about it.

Instead of strutting (running) from the room to seek out the solitary quiet of the bathroom like he wanted to, he propelled himself forward towards Souji. Vaguely he was aware that Rise was watching him like a hawk and that Souji looked slightly wary, and he heard Chie say something to Yukiko which made her giggle but he didn't register any of it. It was probably a good thing because he would have been appalled by what he did next - which was to sorta lean over Souji and plant a very deliberate kiss on his cheek. The class went silent, also not a great thing, especially when the next words to come out of his mouth were a very sincere-sounding (to his horrified ears anyway) “love you too, partner.”

Somehow he managed to turn around, walk himself into a desk (which somehow seemed to hit him right in the crotch, thank you life) and still with a shred of dignity in tact, he walked from the room and then fled as fast as he could down the corridor and into the nearest toilets. Which were the girls.

But he smiled nonetheless, even as his ass was kicked from the bathroom by a very pissed-off Ai Ebihara – he'd totally won round two.

After that initial horrible day at school things calmed down between them. They’d both tried a few testing things – putting feelers out to see how far they could push the other, but it had been by tactic but unspoken consent that really this thing should only be between the two of them. Although Yosuke had won the first battle in the classroom, Souji had ultimately won the school round by spending an entire morning casting longing looks at him in class, then cuddling him all through lunch, and holding his hand on the way home. It was decided after that there would be no more PDAs. It was far too embarrassing. This decision was largely thanks to Miss Kashiwagi, who had witnessed the whole event and subsequently humiliated them both in class by talking in graphic detail about the potential sex lives of hot and horny teenage boys and asking them if they'd be willing to star in a Yaoi film she was thinking of making.

Yeah – school was declared to be a draw, and Rise's apparent fascination with them made any kind of attempt to recommence battle when they were with the other members of the team, which was nearly every other minute, impossible. Plus with the other members of the team around there was a chance that Teddie might find out and nobody wanted that to happen. The bet hadn't been forgotten, of course, and Yosuke had the feeling that Souji was looking forward to their 'date'. The cinema was a entirely different entity to the school, and they'd managed to keep the date a secret from the team matter altogether - Yosuke wasn’t sure if it constituted a public place or not, but either way he was determined that he was going to win the next battle. So he started off by unintentionally giving Souji ammunition.

“So... this'll be fun. I've not been to the movies since October,” he said, as he took the seat next to Souji on the train.

“Oh, you mean the date that never was?” asked Souji. “So we on definitely on a date this time, or are we just buddies again?”

“Um... well... there is just the two of us... and you kinda asked me out so... yeah. This is totally a date.” Yosuke winked and smiled and tried not to notice that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't nervous about being with Souji, he was more nervous about the stunt he was going to pull. “After this we're officially dating.”

“Cool. It's weird, but nice.”

“Uh huh... so... um, partner, can I hold your hand again?”

He didn't miss the anxious look Souji cast around the carriage. It was pretty full and they were going to get some weird looks for this but if he said no then he would lose. Yosuke saw him grit his teeth and then hold out his hand. He grimaced himself as he threaded his fingers through Souji's and tried for force a smile. “Thanks, Souji.” he murmured, “this is awesome.”

He let go as they got off the train – too creeped out by the stares they'd received on the journey there. Souji didn't pull him on it either, instead he looked pretty relieved. For all intents and purposes they were just two buddies hanging out, Souji paid for the cinema tickets (Yosuke didn't even notice what film he'd picked to watch) and Yosuke bought the popcorn and drinks. It seemed fair that way. As much as he would have liked to pick a seat right in the middle at the front to prevent Souji from doing anything to him, it wasn't really part of his master plan for the day. Instead, he took Souji's hand again and led him to the back of the theatre.

He waited until the lights dimmed and the adverts rolled before he sidled up closer to Souji. He noticed immediately that Souji was watching him out of the corner of his eye and before he could carry out his plan of attack, he felt Souji’s arm wrapping around him. It was heavy and warm and Yosuke struggled to fight the urge to shrug it off. No way was Souji winning this. He leaned his head on Souji’s shoulder. Souji’s grip tightened. He slipped his other hand into Souji’s. Souji buried his nose in his hair. Yosuke clambered on to his knee. Souji froze.

Yosuke grinned as he looked at his friend. Yep, if there was ever an exampled needed of an extremely uncomfortable person, it was Souji right then and there in that moment. His friend’s face had frozen along with his body and he was staring at the screen without blinking. Yosuke released Souji’s hand and allowed his fingers to trail up his chest to his face where they danced lightly across his cheek and into his hair.

“You okay there, partner?” he whispered, his voice all sincerity.

Souji’s eyes flicked to his and he blinked. Yosuke didn’t miss the tiny motion in his friend’s throat as he swallowed and the twitch of his eyebrows (though they were mostly hidden under his thick fringe). His skin was cool to the touch and he could feel the tension in the muscles in his face. He was gritting his teeth. The tension seemed to double as Yosuke grinned down at him and the arm that was still slung loosely around him tightened. Souji blinked and swallowed again and then took a breath.

“I… I’m fine, thanks.” He muttered.

“You sure, you don’t look so good?”

One of Souji's other particularly nasty habit was the 'being capable of completely shattering your pride with a single look' one. It was bad enough when the glare was directed at you from a good few metres away when you’d screwed up in battle but when his face was barely a foot away from your own and he was glaring up at you, Yosuke found that it’s impact was quadrupled. Souji’s gaze was so cold and direct that it seemed to tear right through him, shredding away all the deception and mischief of the prank and leaving Yosuke feeling pretty stupid. He supposed that now he was going to be hauled over the coals for what he’d done and he braced for impact. And then suddenly, Souji smiled.

Up until this point, Yosuke thought that the soulless glare Souji could affix on you was the worse thing ever, but when he saw that smile, he stood corrected. It was lazy, tugging the corners of one side of his mouth up higher than the other and seemed to illuminate his grey eyes with a weird kind of laughter.

“I’m fine, partner.” He repeated, his voice stronger this time and then he wrapped both arms around Yosuke and pulled him against his body as tightly as he could. “In fact, I'm better than fine - this is really nice.”

It was more a death grip than a cuddle and there was no way Yosuke could squirm out of it without forfeiting the game and so for the rest of the movie he had to sit on Souji’s lap, head crushed somewhere against his shoulder, back twisted at an awkward angle unable to move. Everything he breathed was tinged with the smell of Souji (and that Junes brand shampoo and possibly the matching shower gel) and he could feel Souji’s grin against his neck as he leaned against it. It was two long hours of torture.

Worse still, when the movie was finally over, Souji didn’t release him until all the credits had rolled and when he was allowed to move again, he discovered he had cramp in every part of his body which then meant that he was forced to lean on Souji until his muscles revived. Of course, Souji took advantage of this, and linked arms with him, ambling through the lobby still wearing that creepy smile and ignoring all the outraged looks they received. He even offered to massage Yosuke’s shoulders for him on the train ride home.

He wriggled out of that one by pretending he was feeling better and told the little voice in his head that was keeping score to shut up when it acknowledged that Souji had definitely won this battle.

Instead he leaned his shoulders against Souji’s (something they were apt to do anyway when they were tired) and pretended to yawn.

“You can sleep on me if you want.”

The mischief had vanished from Souji’s voice, and sure enough, when he risked a glance at his friend, the weird look had been replaced with his usual kind smile. Now that round two was over it was time to go back to being best buddies. Yosuke was glad – that was about all he could cope with right now.

“It’s okay, dude. I’m not that tired. Just stiff.”

“Want me to make a different part of your anatomy stiff, partner…?”

“Shut up.”

“But I thought that’s what this is all about! You and me in a dark room somewhere getting…”

“You know what, I am tired. ‘Night, Souji.”

Souji chuckled and fell silent. If he noticed that Yosuke was totally faking being asleep he didn’t call him on it and if Yosuke realised that using his best friend’s shoulder as a pillow was definitely what he’d constitute as gay then he decided not to think about it. After all it was all part and parcel of this game they were playing.

* * *

“So... what exactly is going on between you two?”

Yosuke groaned at the question and buried his head in his hands, and even then he could feel the power of Rise's curious gaze burning through him. The group had decided to meet up for lunch at their old headquarters and, of course, mere moments after they had ordered food and had taken their respective seats, Rise wanted to discuss her Senpai's love life in explicit detail.

“Yeah, Yosuke's been acting all funny around Sensei,” added Teddie, “I think he's in love. It's so romantic. Two best friends meeting together in secret, the flower of love blossoms under the light of the moon in spite of parental opposition. Though I still think I'm much better match for Sensei than Yosuke.”

“Ooo, parental opposition, Teddie? I think we should all hear about this. Perhaps we can help unite the two star-crossed lovers.”

Yosuke's only consolation in this embarrassing moment was that Souji looked just as uncomfortable as he did. There was the slightest tinge of pink marring his pale cheeks and he was deliberately avoiding looking directly at anything but the plate of food before him. If it wasn't all Souji's fault they'd got to this stalemate he would have felt sorry for him but Souji had been piling on the pressure in their game and Yosuke had naturally had to retaliate or risk losing. At every available opportunity at school the day before, he had held Yosuke's hand very deliberately and very publicly. It had not been fun.

“Well,” Teddie didn't understand the case, of course, but it didn't stop him launching into an excited tale of what he had observed. There was a slight problem with this – Teddie had soon picked up on the tension between them and as neither Souji nor Yosuke would tell him what was happening, he had enlisted Nanako's help in fabricating a story about them. And when Nanako- cute as a button, just recovering from a terrible ordeal, eyes as big as saucers – Dojima asked them in a breathless voice if it was true that they were in love they could hardly say no, could they?

She didn't understand what could be wrong with two teenage boys being in love, and she adored Yosuke (mainly because of his connection to Junes), so to her it was the best thing to ever happen to her big bro and as they couldn't break her heart by admitting the whole thing was an elaborate prank war, she had relayed the information to Teddie and Teddie naturally assumed that Sensei and Yosuke were doing that 'mysterious scoring thing' that nobody would explain to him.

“And then Sensei said I'm not to tell anybody,” finished Teddie.

“Apart from us, right, Ted. Senpai wouldn't want to spare us the juicy details of his relationship, would he?”

“Actually...” began Souji, a little quietly.

“Of course, Rise-chan. Everybody needs to know the awful truth. Yosuke and Sensei are scoring.” he announced triumphantly.

Now the power of six pairs of eyes were on him, Yosuke wished that the ground could be helpful for once and swallow him up. A glance at Souji told him that his friend was probably hoping for the same fate. Somebody needed to shut that damned bear up.

“I-I... t-they've scored? The hell? B-but Souji-senpai aint like that!” spluttered Kanji.

“I'm not like that, either.” Retorted Yosuke, glaring at his junior, “so stop with that stupid wide eyed shocked look. Nothing's happened.”

“Yet.”

All eyes turned to the speaker of this single word. Souji looked up from his dinner and smiled at Yosuke. Just how did he recover so quickly anyway? Perhaps Yosuke's embarrassment was fuelling his mischievous streak. “Teddie has it wrong, Yosuke wants to score with me...”

“Haha! I knew it,” crowed Chie. Another mental high-five passed between her and Rise.

“But... I...”

Allow me to finish,” Souji neatly interrupted the burgeoning argument in his usual quiet way. It was odd that whenever he spoke, everybody stopped to listen. Yosuke had to practically shout to get his point across sometimes. He held Yosuke's gaze for a long moment, just enough to make everybody uncomfortable and then looked back at his plate of food. “I want to score with Yosuke.”

“What?”

“Pardon?”

“Really?”

“Ewwwwwwww.”

“You serious?”

Only Naoto remained silent in protesting her surprise. She had been quietly studying the pair of them since she had arrived. Yosuke chose not to question the meaning of this and instead allowed himself pause to thank the stars that he had one sensible friend amongst seven. He'd always thought she was pretty cool. He completely avoided thinking about what Souji said – he'd been saying some odd things recently and in Yosuke's opinion, the dude was taking the game far too seriously. It was one thing to prank hit on your friend, it was another matter entirely to make believe that it was real.

“Oh I am one hundred percent serious,” replied Souji, “we're together, aren't we, Hana-chan?”

Chie snorted back a laugh and gazed at him.

“Er... yeah, yeah we are d-dating...” Well he couldn't exactly say no, could he?

“Oh well, that at least explains why you never dated any of the girls.” Sighed Rise, “Why are all the hot guys gay? It's so not fair.”

“I-I'm not gay!” exclaimed Yosuke.

“I wasn't referring to you! Besides, you've just admitted you're dating Souji-senpai. That makes you totally, one hundred percent gay, Yosuke-senpai.” Said Rise, patiently. “I still don't get why you... I mean... eh... never mind.”

“Let me guess – you don't get why Souji would be interested in me, right? Geez, that's all I ever hear from Chie. I do have my good points, you know.”

“Yeah, but unfortunately they tend to get lost under all the bad points.” Said Rise, grinning at him. “Oh well, there's no accounting for taste.”

“And Souji-san has always been a little eccentric,” added Yukiko, smiling mischievously.

“Oh god, not you too, Yukiko.” Moaned Yosuke, “I thought you were keeping out of this.”

“You did?” Yukiko looked elegantly surprised and shook her head.

“This relationship involves all of us,” said Rise, “we are all concerned with Senpai's happiness and if you screw it up...”

“I... wait, so none of you give a crap about me? Geez, nice to know I'm appreciated around here.”

“You don't need our appreciation – you have Souji-senpai,” replied Rise, before he could finish, “that makes you the most undeserving person on the planet.”

“I'll bet if it was you in the position you'd be saying you were the luckiest girl in the world.”

“Of course.” Rise grinned and added, “at least people wouldn't be totally confused if Senpai had chosen me.”

Souji looked up again at this point and silenced Rise with a look. He waited until they were all quiet again and said gently, “I don't understand why you are confused: Yosuke is adorabl.” This quiet statement effectively ended the argument, and apart from the occasional curious look shot in his general direction – the group let the matter drop and moved on to other things to tease the others about.

It wasn't until they were all getting ready to leave that Naoto brought the subject up again. Yosuke had noticed she'd been watching him, especially when he spoke to Souji, and she had been quieter than usual. “I think I understand what is happening,” she announced.

“Huh?”

“Between Yosuke-senpai and Souji-senpai,” she continued, as patiently as ever, “it is quite obvious.”

“Well of course it is, Nao-chan, they are in love.” said Teddie, with a grin.

“No, I don't believe that is the case,” she said, “I have noticed that when one says something outlandish, the other will not only agree but will say something even more controversial. To me it appears that they are... playing a game...” Naoto wrinkled her nose at the thought – clearly she had no idea what kind of game they could be playing or or why they would they would even want to do such a stupid thing. On the other hand Rise, ever the world-wise member of the group, took the idea and ran with it. She turned on the easiest prey.

“Yosuke," she asked suddenly, "are you playing Gay Chicken with Senpai?”

“G-gay chicken? W-what the hell's that?”

“I think she means that she thinks we are trying to out-awkward each other, if there is such a term.” explained Souji, casting one of his best blank looks at Yosuke. “That isn't true, is it, partner?”

“Um... n-no...”

Souji raised an eyebrow and moved his chair closer to Yosuke's, “of course, if we were playing such a game, I'd totally own you, right?”

“If we were, there's no way in hell you'd win, dude.”

“Oh, I don't know about that.” Souji grinned at him, “You have no idea how far I am willing to go to win.”

“Well, I think you may have underestimated me.”

Souji's grey eyes were almost glistening with laughter, “really, partner? But you are so easily flustered if I so much as hold your hand.”

“That's because its so new and... um... stuff.” Yosuke winked at him, “anyway, you get uncomfortable too – Mr. Squirming at the cinema just because I sat on you.”

“I don't remember being uncomfortable, I remember enjoying myself though – cuddling you is so nice, my... um... little cuddle bug.” replied Souji, “Don't you remember falling asleep on me? All that cuteness just took it out of you, huh?”

“More like I was overwhelmed by your presence...”

“Or just me, my love.” Souji grinned and blew a kiss in his direction as the group started laughing again.

“Yosuke, just face it – Senpai is way better at everything than you.”

“Whatever, Rise.” Yosuke snorted and turned back to Souji, “If we were playing a game, which we're totally not, you know I'd win. I've just not been trying so far.”

“You've just been losing, right?” Souji chuckled at his annoyed look and reached forward to twitch Yosuke's hair from his eyes. He tried not to flinch at the touch. “Don't worry about it, Hana-chan, one of us is a guaranteed loser.”

“Yeah. Yosuke is a big loser.” Said Teddie, grinning happily.

“Shut up, dumb bear.”

Rise giggled at his annoyance and exchanged a glance with Chie. Yosuke hadn't realised the two had so much in common before, then again, he'd never considered how much they both enjoyed persecuting him either. She waved her chopsticks in his general direction, “So, Yosuke-senpai,” she began, “if you were playing gay chicken, which you're not, but lets just say hypothetically, if you were playing...?”

“Yeah?”

“Souji would totally win.”

“What? Wait? W-why?”

“Sensei always wins. He's Sensei-tional. Heehee. He's Teddie-rific. He's un-bear-leaveable. He's...”

“SHUT UP!”

“I agree, Souji-kun would definitely win,” said Yukiko, calmly, “I'd wager money on him.”

“Really, Yuki-chan. How much?” Chie pulled the purse from her pocket and then sighed, “Oh wait, I can't bet against you – I bet Souji will win too. Kanji?”

“Um... let's see – Souji-senpai versus Yosuke... tough choice... if you were a complete retard. Of course Senpai'll win.”

“C'mon guys, it's my bet. One of you has got to take me up! I wanna win some cash.”

“Geez, fine I'll take you up on it." said Yosuke "I'm so going to win this game anyway and then we'll see who the biggest loser is.”

“We already know that its you, Yosuke,” said Chie, “Besides, you're one of the principles. You can't bet for or against yourself.”

“Actually, I think...”

“Come on, Naoto-chan, don't be all grumpy and make us play by the rules.” Cajoled Rise, casting her best winning smile at her friend, “you'll spoil all the fun.”

“I was actually going to say that I believe my point has just been proven,” said Naoto, interrupting them with a slightly smug smile. It took them a while to see what she actually meant but then there was a chorus of 'oohs' around the table and a number of angry looks cast at Yosuke. Souji kept his blank look fixed firmly in place but he was the one that spoke.

“You realise, Hana-chan, that by offering to bet against me that you've just sort of confirmed that this is a game, right?” he said.

“N-o, that's not what I...” Yosuke stammered.

“Oh come on, Yosuke, all the best heroes know to quit whilst you're ahead, or at least before you make even more of a fool out of yourself. Souji won't be mad.” urged Chie, “man up and confess the truth. You and Souji - it's all a hoax, right?”

Yosuke had to wonder at the workings of his own brain sometimes – here was a golden opportunity to make amends – to end the game, and okay, he may have looked stupid in the process, but at least it would have all been over, he could have confessed – but no that would be far too easy. He wondered if his brain had a self-destructing streak just like his mouth seemed to have.

Instead of laughing and admitting that, yeah, hitting on Souji had been a joke, he found himself standing and walking slowly over to Souji. His vision was fixed firmly on Souji's grey eyes – he looked surprised and amused, he noted, a little distantly, and he was smiling slightly. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest and whilst he was sort of thinking 'er, what the hell am I doing' he was also kinda cheering himself on. The distance between them seemed to stretch and shrink all at once and he felt his hands move, resting at either side of his friend's face. Souji's smile faltered and warped into something anxious and his eyes seemed huge. If there was ever a moment to stop it was now.

Brain-mouth-motion communication was at an all time low in Hanamura-land. Instead of quitting, instead of laughing and pulling back, he leaned forward. Thud. Thud. THUD. His heart was pumping blood around his body at a rate that was at odds to the situation. No way should he feel this anxious. He imagined that Souji was leaning towards him too. Bastard was trying to creep him out, trying to make him lose. Well screw that – no way was he backing down. The problem was, neither was Souji. Shit, thought Yosuke, now what? And then, then it was all over. Ish. Yosuke screwed his eyes shut and bit back a grimace as he felt Souji's lips part under his, weirdly soft and cold and tasting of pop and not at all like he'd imagined (not that he'd imagined kissing Souji – apart from in those weird dreams he'd had which he'd wasn't supposed to remember right now, thank you, brain.) The realisation came to him slowly. He was kissing, really properly kissing Souji! (though thank god no tongues were involved) still it was Souji – his best friend. A dude. He was in fricking Junes kissing SOUJI!

Finally his brain-mouth-motion synapses came back online and communication between the three was resumed. He pulled back quickly and for a panic stricken moment, all he could see was Souji's grey eyes staring up at him, surprised but smiling. He reflex-smiled and stood straight, taking a breath. Did that count as a win or a loss. He pretended to be out of breath and grinned again. Should he be worried that it came so naturally?

The group had fallen silent. There was a moment when Yosuke was certain that the whole food court had fallen silent too, and whilst the majority of his mind was dealing with the fact that he'd just kissed another dude in the middle of freaking Junes, and therefore was having a major freak-out, there was a tiny part of him that was immensely proud of his achievement. It was a kind of one-fingered salute to all his friends. Served them right for being so bitchy to him, plus it felt kinda cool, really. He was so winning this game. Souji certainly looked daunted.

“Um...” began Rise, trying her hardest to act as the team cheerleader, vocalising her support and cheering them on. Yosuke had the distinct impression that what had just happened was too much for her to take in. It was a little too much for him, in all honestly, and the only thing keeping him from turning heel and fleeing from the scene was the fact that it was just so hilarious to witness Souji's reaction. It was possibly the first time he'd ever seen his friend completely stunned.

“Are you still taking bets, Rise-chan? If this really is a game,” said Naoto, cutting through the awkwardness and shock as gracefully as a swan cutting through water, “then my money is on Yosuke-senpai.”

Yosuke looked over and grinned at her. He'd always known Naoto Shirogane was cool.

**Author's Note:**

> I always intended to write an epilogue (involving an 'intimate' Christmas date) but unfortunately, I never could find the inspiration to write it (my imagination deserted me right just when I needed it most)


End file.
